


Open Door

by LittleSweetCheeks



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-27
Updated: 2016-06-15
Packaged: 2018-07-10 14:49:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6989854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleSweetCheeks/pseuds/LittleSweetCheeks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hotch has always had an open door policy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. JJ

Hotch made his way off of the elevator heading back toward his office. It had been a long morning of meetings and he was fighting the urge to bang his head against a wall, or break into Dave’s ‘special drawer’ already, and it was barely lunchtime. As he rounded the corner into the bullpen, he came up short. The blinds to his office were shut, he never shut them. He scanned the room. Morgan was at a desk on the phone, handling a consult no doubt. Dave and Reid were in Rossi’s office talking, likely bouncing ideas off one another. Hotch didn’t see either of the girls, women, on his team, but that didn’t really surprise him. They were both likely sealed in Garcia’s office away from the guys.

He knew if something was amiss, his team would show signs of being on edge, waiting for his return. Since everyone was relaxed and busy working, Hotch continued up the steps and into his office. When he first opened the door, he saw no one at the desk or in the chairs. As he entered the small room and shut the door behind him, his eyes landed on the small sofa. And found one of his missing agents. JJ was sound asleep on his couch; he knew having a corner office meant less noise to cause disturbances. He set his briefcase on the desk and moved to the cabinet in the corner and retrieved a blanket, and then he went to the sofa and draped it over his sleeping agent.

Hotch wasn’t about to deny JJ some much needed rest. Will had been out of town all week at a seminar and JJ was pulling double duty as full time agent and single mom of two. One of which, if Hotch recalled correctly, had been having a rough time with teething. The seminar was actually most of the reason Hotch had put in for this week to be a stand-down week for the team to stay in the office.

He quietly worked on his files for about an hour until a sneeze came from the form on the sofa. “Rough night?” He softly asked, not wanting to startle her.

JJ froze a moment, not aware Hotch had returned, then she realized she was now covered in a blanket she hadn’t been before. “Yeah,” she cleared her throat, “Yeah. He was up almost the entire night wanting rocked.” JJ rolled over and slowly sat up, allowing the blanket to pool in her lap and she ran one hand through her hair. 

Hotch quietly waited for her to get her bearings, “Just remember, it doesn’t last forever,” he offered gently.

She looked around the room and then to her boss, “How long have you been back?”

“An hour or so.”

“I’m sorry for coming in here. I was working fine and then this sudden overwhelming exhaustion hit me.”

“You needed a break,” he shrugged in understanding. “Why don’t you go home and rest, when was the last time you slept?”

“If I go home, then I feel guilty leaving the boys at daycare. Umm, Will left Sunday and then Sunday night I got about an hour from one to two AM. Monday night I can’t recall actually going to bed, Tuesday night I spent in the glider and I might have dozed, but I was afraid of dropping him.”

“And last night?”

“Last night he wouldn’t even let me sit and rock him. I walked around the house all night with him.”

“Henry can sleep through Michael crying?”

JJ nodded and yawned, “Amazingly. Thankfully. The last thing I need is two boys up.”

“So this is your fourth day essentially without sleep?”

She squinted at him, “I guess, yeah.”

“How do you feel now? You’ve had a couple hours rest?”

“I’m fine to work, Hotch.”

Hotch sighed, “I’m not worried about work, I’m worried about you. Things can happen when you’re that exhausted. Is there anyone who could come stay with you tonight? Maybe Garcia would be willing to help you out?”

“She’s not great with the continuous crying stuff; Will is only gone three more nights anyway, I will muddle through and when he’s back I will sleep like the dead.” JJ then stood and began folding the blanket and put it on the end of the couch. 

“It’s lunchtime, go eat JJ.”

She stopped at the door and faced him, “I was going to make up the time from my nap.”

“No, go eat. Take someone with you. I think Morgan is about ready to have a break.”

“You have to eat too you know.”

He sighed, “I know. I have another meeting in thirty minutes though, so it will have to wait.”

JJ nodded in understanding and disappeared through the doorway and down the stairs.

\---

Later in the day Hotch’s work was interrupted by Garcia dropping off files for him to review. “Hey, Garcia? How is JJ holding up?”

“She hasn’t really been herself today. She told me she took a nap this morning, but she still doesn’t look all that rested. Baby boy is doing a number on her this week.”

Hotch nodded in understanding, “If you see her down there, can you send her here?”

“Sure, no problem.” Garcia slipped away as quietly as she had come.

Several minutes later JJ dragged into his office and sat in one of the chairs, “You wanted to see me?”

Hotch sat down his pen and shut the file he was working on, giving her his complete attention, “I am about to make an offer, but I don’t want you to take it the wrong way. I wouldn’t still have you on this team if I didn’t know for certain that you were plenty capable of being both an agent and a parent. And it’s not just that I have faith that you can do it, I’ve seen you manage first hand. Having said that, there is the saying that it takes a village to raise a child and it seems that perhaps right now you could use some of that village.”

JJ chewed her bottom lip in nervous anticipation, “What is your offer?”

“You let me drive you home, I am concerned about the lack of sleep affecting your ability to safely drive, that is the first thing. We will stop to pick up all three boys on the way, then I will drop off you and Henry and Jack and Michael will come home with me. The older boys will think it’s cool to get a mid week sleep-over, and you have a household that will sleep through the night.”

“I can’t, I can’t ask that of you,” JJ automatically insisted, “I doubt he will let you get any sleep at all and then you will be the one tired tomorrow,”

Hotch held up a hand, “One night isn’t going to bother me much. And I’m much more concerned about your prolonged missing sleep that my one night. And I know you wouldn’t ask, that’s why I’m offering. Consider it less an offer and more an insistence.”

JJ eyed him a minute, “If you really are okay with doing it. I guess it would be nice to get a little sleep. When will you be ready to leave?”

“Fifteen minutes or so.” He opened the file back up.

JJ nodded and left to pack up.

\---

Hotch had been right, Henry and Jack and been over the moon about a sleep-over. Pizza had been ordered, homework had been done while they waited, and eventually both boys were sound asleep in Henry’s room.

JJ got comfortable in her bed and waited for her nightly text from Will.

“How was your day, baby?”

“Good, Enjoying the peace and quiet right now. About to fall asleep.”

“Michael finally letting you sleep?”

“No.”

“No?”

“Hotch traded me Jack for Michael tonight. He was worried. Henry and Jack loved the idea.”

“You’re a good mom, letting others help out. I was a bit worried about you driving so tired.”

“Hotch drove us home, he will pick us all up tomorrow. Right now I’m about to drift off to sleep.”

“Well, good night then.”

“Night.”

\---

Hotch entered his apartment and set baby and gear in the living room and began unloading the bags he’d brought up. He had forgotten what it was like to get around with an infant in a carrier. After dropping JJ and the boys, he’d had to stop at the dry cleaner to pick up a couple suits, then the grocery store for a couple things and then he picked up Chinese since he only had himself to feed tonight. At each place he got stopped so people could aww over Michael, he got several compliments on how natural he looked as a father moving about his day with baby in tow. He had received one raised eyebrow when, in the grocery store, Michael had dropped his toy and Hotch had bent down to pick it back up and the hem of his suit jacket had caught on his service pistol. 

Hotch moved about the apartment setting out a blanket on the floor and then his dinner on the coffee table, all the while talking to Michael.

“Alright Michael, mommy says you shouldn’t need fed for another half hour, so how about you hang out on this blanket and I’ll be right here and eat my dinner. You have to be kind to Uncle Hotch tonight; it’s been a long time since I’ve done the baby thing.”

His reply was gurgles and the waving of a slobbery fist as he unbuckled him from the carseat and placed him on the floor.

Halfway through his meal, his phone pinged signaling an incoming message.

“Thank you. I was worried about being gone the whole week.”

“That must be from your daddy,” Hotch said to Michael. “Everyone is worried about you driving your mommy crazy with this up all night routine.”

Hotch finished up and got Michael into a clean diaper and pajamas, then they moved to the master bedroom to get Hotch more comfortable. Michael worked on his bottle as he watched Hotch change. 

Hotch got him to sleep and then settled down with a book. He remembered from when Jack was a baby that sometimes the best plan was to simply plan to not sleep at all. Michael stayed asleep almost an hour before he woke, angry and chewing on his hands. Teething was never fun.

\---

JJ was just getting the boys ready to walk out the door when the doorbell rang, “Jack, that must be your dad. Are you boys ready for school?”

Both boys cheered in excitement, JJ pulled open the front door and revealed her boss in his two piece suit and silk tie looking every bit the polished Fed he always did; cradling her infant son to his chest like he did it every day. JJ couldn’t help but smile.

“How do you feel this morning?” Hotch asked, assessing her through his sunglasses.

“Better. Refreshed. Thank you. Is he awake?” She motioned to Michael. She knew he had been safe all night, but the mommy in her still itched to have her baby back in her arms.

Hotch chuckled, Haley had been the same way with Jack, “Yes, he slept off and on, maybe an hour at time. Maybe four or five hours total.” He passed baby Michael back to JJ and turned to the boys, “Ready? Let’s go.”

Everyone clambered into the SUV and they were on their way. The big boys got dropped off at school, Michael was headed to daycare.

“Thank you again for last night,” JJ said once the bigger boys were gone. “I think I was starting to hallucinate stuff yesterday.”

At the next stoplight, Hotch gave her a look of shock, “Why didn’t you just say something? No one would have said a word about you taking some time. Any one of us would have at least driven you to and from work, helped out. It’s what family is for.”

JJ studied out the window a minute, “You looked good holding him earlier. Had you ever thought about having more kids after Jack?”

They were both quiet for a few miles, “There was a time, yes. Haley and I had both wanted a house full of kids. But Jack was a long time coming and then our marriage went south…”

“Had you ever thought about it since?”

“For a while, I had thought I could get to that point with Beth. I even brought it up once, wanting more kids.”

“And?”

“And while she loved Jack to pieces, she could not see herself having children of her own. It would limit her ability to travel internationally for work, at least a little and she really wanted to keep going in her career.”

“Oh.” JJ pondered for a while, “That’s a shame.”

“I have Jack and I put all of my energy into making sure he doesn’t feel like anything important is missing from his life. There have been times, when he was little, when he did express wishing for a brother or sister.”

“Henry did that off and on for a couple years; it really hurt when we lost the baby a couple years back. That the one thing he was asking for and I failed to be able to provide it.” She trailed off.

Hotch thought about her comment a moment. He’d known there were things she’d never said about her time overseas and it had clearly left an impact on her. Her comment seemed to make everything make perfect sense. He struggled to think of a way to continue the conversation without letting on that she’s never told him about that before.

Suddenly that fact seemed to dawn on JJ as she whipped her head around to face him, eyes wide.

It’s okay,” he said quickly, “I get it. We all share so much of our lives, some things we need to keep out of the public domain.”

JJ studied her hands and chewed her bottom lip, “Yeah.”

The pair was quiet the rest of the way into work. Once Hotch pulled into his parking spot, he spoke up, “If you need my couch again, feel free. I will leave the blanket out. I have an open door policy for all of your guys, your health is just as important as the work you do.”


	2. Reid

Hotch had always maintained an open door policy. He wanted any of his team to know they had a safe place to reach out, no matter the reason. Often if manifested in someone commandeering his couch or a chair, or even his windows seeking a moment of solitude. Sometimes they wanted to talk, other times they didn’t, he always let the visitor make that decision. 

The sun was just rising as Hotch sat at his desk, ready to start work for the day. He wasn’t expecting any of his team in for hours yet. He was surprised when his cell phone rang and even more surprised when he didn’t recognize the number.

“Agent Hotchner.”

“Are you Hotch?” A soft, trembling, voice asked. The voice was either female or very young.

Hotch frowned, “Yes. May I ask how you got this number?”

“This guy, he gave it to me. He said to call Hotch, that you would come and help him.” Hotch could hear muffled sounds in the background.

“What’s his name?” Hotch was already standing and reaching for his coat.

“Umm, they guys that run the business, they call him Doc. Like Bugs Bunny. It’s a joke they make.” The voice sounded hesitant.

“What business? Can you give me a location?”

“Twenty third and Collins. There’s a newsstand on the corner, we’re in the alley out back.”

Hotch tried to process that. That was a rough neighborhood and nowhere near where any of his team lived. Not to mention that it had to be in the teens outside at best. “I’m on my way.” He disconnected the call and rushed to his car.

\---

Twenty minutes later, Hotch pulled into the alley and bolted from his car. A petite girl who looked like the alley might be her home edged out and peered up at him.

“Are you Hotch?”

“Yes.”

She grabbed his arm and dragged him past a dumpster. “He needs help. He told me not to call 911.”

Hotch was speechless as he stared down at his youngest agent, shivering and turning blue from the cold with no coat and no shoes. “What happened?” Hotch ripped off his own coat and wrapped the other man in it.

“He came down to bring me food and blankets. He does that sometimes. Bo told him before that if he ain’t buying, that he doesn’t want to see him around here no more. Said he doesn’t need some cop killing business.”

“Bo is a dealer?” Hotch asked. 

The girl nodded.

“What happened this time?”

“Doc parked a block over to try and not be seen, but Bo got the drop on him and his guys jumped him. I think Bo gave him something.” She pulled up a sleeve and showed Hotch the fresh track mark. “Doc said the police would just write him off as another junkie.”

Hotch nodded. “Let’s get him in my car. We will take him in ourselves. Did he have anything else with him?”

“Bo took his cash.” She grabbed the fresh blankets and followed Hotch to his car. “Will he be okay?”

“Yes, you get in and hold his head.” Hotch waited and then slid his friend into the back seat.

A short time later, Hotch was bursting through the doors at the local ER carrying Reid in his arms. Staff rushed forward with a gurney and began shouting commands and questions. Hotch made sure they understood this was an FBI agent who had been attacked. A moment later he was standing in a quiet hallway with the trembling girl at her side. He turned to her and asked, “What is your name?”

“Ruth.”

“Thank you for calling me, Ruth. “

“Doc has looked after me for years, it was the least I could do.”

A nurse poked her head out, “Aaron? He’s asking for you.”

Hotch followed the nurse in and stood at the head of the bed, out of the way.

“Hotch?” Came a whisper. “I’m sorry Hotch.”

“Shh, this isn’t your fault.” He brushed hair off his friend’s face.

“I’m so sorry.” Reid dissolved into a fit of tears.

“Can you tell us what happened?” The doctor asked.

“I got a call that he was in trouble. Apparently he was dropping off stuff to a homeless person and the local dealer caught him and jumped him.”

“He’s had issues with the dealer before?”

“He used to be a customer. The dealer didn’t want him to become a rat.”

“Well, it looks like he was given heroin, but it wasn’t enough to cause an OD, just mess him up a bit. We’ll monitor him here for a few days to monitor. He’ll be moved upstairs soon.”

“I need to make a phone call and then I need to stay with him for now. I’m him medical proxy.”

The doctor nodded, “No problem.”

Hotch excused himself and stepped outside the ER. The first person he dialed was Rossi.

“Good morning Aaron.” He greeted.

“Dave, there’s been a situation.”

“Does this have anything to do with why everyone is in but you and Reid?”

Hotch sighed, “Yes, but I need you to keep any questions at bay for a while.”

“Hold on,” Rossi shut her office door and returned to his desk, “What’s happened?”

“Reid was attacked. He’s in the hospital, he’ll be admitted shortly.”

“I get the feeling there’s more.”

“The attacked knew he was an ex addict and gave him heroin.”

“And you don’t want the others to know.”

“Not right now. If anyone asks just say we were called away to deal with a local situation.”

“Okay, Hotch. Keep me updated.”

\---

Hours later Hoch was working on emails on his phone when a groan made him look up. “How are you doing?”

“Hotch? Why are you here? Why am I here?”

“You had Ruth call me. Bo got the drop on you and dosed you with heroin.” Hotch watched his friend process that information. “I think, before you beat yourself up too much yet, you need to call you sponsor and ask him to come here.”

Reid stared up at him boss. It was rare that his previous drug problem was ever directly mentioned, even after all these years. “Okay.”

“Do you know his number?” He waited for a nod, then handed over his phone, “Call him.”

Some time later Hotch was pacing the hall when a familiar face rounded the corner, walking his way. The man raised his hands to halt any greeting before it started, “Here I’m just John. Please. Spencer called me, I’m guessing you knew that though.”

“I knew he called his sponsor. I told him he needed to.”

John motioned to a bank of chairs, “Can you tell me what happened?”

“I got a call around sunrise from a girl saying someone had told her to call me. When I got to the address she gave, he was unconscious and missing his shoes and coat. He was freezing. The girl said he goes down there often to take her blankets and food. A dealer has warned him away a few times, but he ignored him.”

“I’m seeing how that would involve you, but not me.”

“The dealer apparently used to be his dealer and knew he was clean. So once he beat him up he also drugged him. Not enough to OD, but that’s not the point.” Hotch sighed and leaned back in the chair. “To me I don’t feel like he should be punished for this. I think he should be watched for how he handles it, but I got the feeling he was trying to coax the girl off the streets and out of that life as well.”

“I agree, he shouldn’t be judged for what happened during the course of the attack. He will beat himself up something fierce for this. Where is the girl now?”

“I think she took off when I stepped out to make some calls earlier today. Haven’t seen her since.”

“Well,” John stood, “Let’s go see Spencer.” They walked to the room and were greeted by Reid fidgeting in the bed. “Spencer.”

“Hey John.” Reid sighed, “I guess you two have already talked? What will happen to me now?”

“For now you will stay admitted in the hospital,” John patted one leg with his hand. “Either Aaron or I will stay with you as much as we can. We will help you get past this. You need to remember, this is not your fault.”

Reid chewed his bottom lip and looked from one man to the other. He knew that right now, in this room, neither man was his superior, instead they were here as friends. He nodded in understanding.

Hotch sank back into a chair by the bed, “Don’t worry about work. I will file the paperwork stating you were the victim of an assault. You will get a couple weeks leave to recuperate. As your boss, as far as I’m concerned that’s exactly what this situation was. As your friend, I know this will be very hard for you. Please talk to either of us about anything.”  
John watched his friend fidget some more, “Is there anything we can do to help now?”

Reid frowned, “I just…it itches. I know it’s just because of the craving, but…it itches. If there was something to help the itching. An ice pack maybe? I don’t know. I don’t think withdrawal will be a problem, he only shot me up once so…”

\---

Hotch had gone home for the afternoon while John has sat with Spencer. He had agreed to sit with him overnight since he was Spencer’s proxy and then John was going to come during the day so Hotch could go to work. I was after dinner by the time Hotch had settled into the chair in the room, letting Reid doze without interruption. He often worried about the youngest member of his team. This job was all he’d ever done and a job like theirs took a toll. He had thought about suggesting that Reid cover a class here and there at the academy, maybe even teaching for a semester from time to time. 

He studied the younger man as he slept. When they worked, he forgot that Reid was so much younger than himself. But as he slept he was reminded his teammate could practically be his own son.

While Hotch drifted off into his own thoughts, Reid’s eyes fluttered open and he watched his boss starting at him, eyes unfocused. After several minutes of silence, he softly asked, “Hotch?”

He didn’t get a response so he cleared he throat and tried again, “Hotch?” His superior’s eyes snapped to his own. “I know you’re worried. I’ll be okay.”

Hotch remained silent a minute more, “It’s my job to worry. I want all of you to be able to come to me without fear of judgment or repercussion.” 

“I know.” Reid shifted to his side. “We all know. Even if we don’t always come to you, we know we can.”


	3. Morgan

It was late when he woke to his phone buzzing on his nightstand. He was surprised to see the name flashing on his screen. “Morgan?”

“Hotch, man.” He could hear the younger man sniff and it made him sit up.

“What’s wrong?”

“Des just called me, it’s my Ma, man.”

Hotch only needed a moment to remember Morgan’s sister. “Morgan? Where are you?”

“Sittin’ outside on the curb.”

Hotch frowned into the darkness, “Where?”

“Outside your house. I didn’t want to wake Jack.” The watery sound returned to his voice.

Hotch was out of bed in an instant and down the stairs, not caring that he was in boxers and a shirt as he opened the front door and came down the steps. “Morgan.”

Derek looked up at his boss and friend. “My Ma died.”

Hotch couldn’t help but see the look of a little boy in the face of his friend as he said those words. “Come on, let’s get you inside.” He helped the other man up and into the house.   
Once they were settled on the couch, Hotch pressed for more information. “I didn’t know she was sick.”

“She wasn’t. She’s always been so healthy. Then I guess she got this cold a couple weeks ago and it wouldn’t go away and then it got worse. Finally Des talked her into going to the doctor and they ran tests, but while waiting on results she got sicker so Des took her to the ER. Apparently it was an aggressive form of cancer and she was gone before they even knew she had it.” Morgan dissolved into tears again.

“You need to go to Chicago.” Hotch rested a hand on the younger man’s shoulder. “You need to go be with your sisters.”

Morgan nodded, unable to speak.

Hotch got up to retrieve his phone from the hall table where he’d dropped it. When he returned, he took in his devastated friend. “Are you going to be okay travelling alone?”

“I guess I don’t have a choice, do I?”

Hotch chewed on his bottom lip, thinking, “I’m going to call Garcia and set her on finding flights.” He stepped out of the room.

When he returned, Morgan looked a bit calmer. “We are on a flight leaving at 8am, so we will need to be up early. Do you have a go-bag in your car?”

Morgan nodded, “We? Hotch, you don’t need to come with me.”

“I have a ticket already. I didn’t tell Garcia what was going on, you can tell her when you feel up to it. I’m going to call Jessica about getting Jack early. There’s a guest bedroom at the end of the hall.”

\---

At 8am, Morgan and Hotch were settled into bulkhead seats on a flight to Chicago. “I would have thought these seats would have been taken already.”

Hotch turned, “I learned long ago not to ask what Garcia does. I’m going the ignorance is bliss route.”

Morgan shorted a rare chuckle. “I hear that.”

“Did you tell your sisters what time we would be landing?”

“Yeah. Sarah wanted to pick us up, but I told her I’d get a car.”

“Okay.” Hotch settled his head against the seat back and attempted to stretch his legs. “I hate to admit this, but I miss the jet.”

“Yeah, man, I hear you.”

\---

Hotch had remained in the background most of the day, running errands and doing small things while the siblings planned and set up the funeral and contacted family. It wasn’t until late that evening while enjoying the chill in the weather on the back porch that someone came and sat down beside him. 

Sarah was quiet as she sat staring at the stars. “You’re a good friend to Derek. Not many people would fly out here just to be supportive like this.”

“He needed a friend. The rest of the team is coming out for the funeral.”

“Well, I’m glad he has a friend who would do this.”

“How are you holding up?”

“I’ll get there. Des and I have been together pretty much since the hospital. I don’t see that changing anytime soon. I know Derek will have to get back to work.”

“There’s no rush. He can come back when he’s ready.”

Sarah took in her brother’s boss, “Will you be going back after the funeral when the others do?”

“Probably. This is a time for you guys to be together, I’ll just impede that.”

She considered her next statement a minute, “Derek told us about you once.” She let the statement stand alone.

Hotch nodded, “I understand the pain. It’s not quite the same but at the same time…”

“It’s not but it is.”


	4. Garcia

Jack was away at camp for two weeks, so Hotch decided to spend Sunday in the office working. He was casual in a polo shirt and jeans and had even turned on a bit of music to fill the silence of the floor. After a couple hours he became vaguely aware of someone hovering in his doorway and figured it was security making their rounds. When the figure didn’t move on, he finally raised his eyes toward his visitor.

Penelope Garcia stood hovering by the door, not quite in his office. She was dressed for the hot July weather in shorts and a tank top and sneakers. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail and she was sans makeup.

Hotch waited a moment for her to say why she was there, but when she didn’t speak he asked, “What are you doing here on a Sunday Garcia?”

“Umm, I didn’t expect anyone to be in the office. I came to..” She huffed a depreciating laugh and sniffled, “I can for some alone time. I didn’t expect you to be here and then I saw you up here through the window and I didn’t really want to be alone.”

He motioned to the couch, “Please sit. Jack is away so I’m getting some extra reports and performance reviews done.” He watched her sit and returned to his task. She remained quiet for a while, save for the odd sniff. When Hotch finished the last review he set his pen down, “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No?”

He studied her a minute, “It might help. Didn’t you have plans this weekend?”

Her eyes welled up with tears again, “Yeah. Sam and I were going to the beach.”

He nodded, “That didn’t happen?”

“No.”

He raised an eyebrow at her and waited.

“Cynthia happened.” She whispered.

Hotch sighed, “Cynthia?”

“Cynthia that apparently he’s been seeing since Thanksgiving. She called to confirm their cruise next week and Sam had left his phone at my place while he went for breakfast.”

“Oh.” 

A sob escaped and Garcia covered her mouth, “I didn’t even realize it. How could I not see it?”

“Sometimes we only see what we want to see. You didn’t deserve to be treated this way.”

She gave him a small smile, “I’m sorry for dumping all this on you. I really expected the place to be empty.”

“Then what?”

“I could curl up in my office and cry and mope all alone. I used to go hang out with JJ or Em but now… Now it’s just me.”

Hotch looked around at the paperwork on his desk and then out the window at the beautiful afternoon. The paperwork wasn’t going to go anywhere between now and Monday. He stood and collected his phone and keys. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

Garcia looked up at her boss in surprise. “What?”

“We both need to be out of this office and enjoy some fresh air.” He moved around his desk and to the door, motioning for her to follow.

“Where would we go?”

“There’s an art festival at Centennial Park. Tons of local artists and craftsman selling their wares, I think there’s even something at the amphitheater later.”

She stared at him silently as she followed him out of the building and to his car.

\---

Aaron spent the afternoon watching Penelope forgetting about her problems with Sam and her heartbreak. It wasn’t long after they arrived that she was zigzagging from stall to stall studying the sculptures and jewelry for sale, he couldn’t help but smile after her. Hotch meandered along, not worried about getting separated from her. At one stall a necklace made of blown glass that looked like waves in the ocean caught his eye. It was a large statement piece and he stood, studying it.

The artist appeared at his elbow. “Beautiful isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“I tried many times to get it to look just so, only succeeded the once.” She reached out and picked it up from the display. “I figured someone would come along who was perfect for it, but I’ve actually had it for quite a long time now and no takers. It’s a shame really. All this beauty and no one seems to take the time to really notice.”

Hotch studied the artist and then the piece, “You know what. I know the perfect person for it.”

The artist looked up at him, surprised, “I’ll wrap it up for you.”

“Thank you.”

\---

Hotch finally caught up to Garcia at the far end of the stalls, she was juggling four large bags, a box and sporting a huge grin. “I see you’ve been busy. Here, let me take some of that.”

“Oh, thank you. This place is great, thank you for dragging me out. Did you want to go down to the amphitheater?” 

“It’s up to you. I can take this stuff to the car and grab a blanket if you want to stake out a spot?”

“Sure. I’ll grab some refreshments.”

He nodded and moved back to his car.

\---

It was late when Garcia managed to stumble through her front door. She felt much better than when the day had started. She sank down onto the couch and took in her bags. “Shopping therapy, always the way to go.” After a few minutes, she began to empty her loot from the bags. At the bottom of the last bag she pulled out a box she didn’t recognize. “Where did this come from?”

She gasped when she pulled out a beautiful glass necklace that looked like waves. “Oh, wow.” As she shifted the box, a note fell out.

-One of a kind, just waiting for the right person to treasure it.-

She put the necklace on and went to look in the mirror. She knew precisely the outfit to wear the next day to show it off.


	5. Prentiss

It wasn’t like she’d never been hassled by other officers or agents before. In fact, Emily Prentiss was pretty used to not being particularly well liked. It had come with the territory of growing up the daughter of an ambassador and then being a woman in a still mostly male dominated field. Not that their department really reflected that. It was still full of alpha personalities, however. 

They’d just come off a long case in rural Arizona that left them all feeling dry and dusty and worn out. There had been hours of trekking through the desert looking for victims and then trekking back when nothing turned up. Everyone returned with a short fuse.

Hotch had decided since the case had wrapped up in the overnight hours, to fly out that morning and only spend a few hours in the office before taking the weekend. The flight home which was usually a time to relax and unwind, had instead been four hours of some of the worst turbulence Emily could remember. Rossi spent the entire flight gripping the armrests and praying and at one point, Garcia had started crying.

The bad flight had not helped their already frazzled moods.

Emily, JJ and Penelope had headed straight for the locker rooms to shower. It was one thing to be stuck at the office after that case, it was a totally different thing to be stuck there covered in grime. Emily left the other two finishing their routines and headed to the elevator and back to the sixth floor. As she got on the elevator, Agent Stan Dooley rushed to join her. Emily inwardly groaned.

“Hello Agent Prentiss.” He stood directly beside her.

“Stan.” She acknowledged.

“I heard you guys just got back. Were you down here showering?” He sounded just a tad too excited at the idea.

Emily chose not to answer him.

“You know, I know how hard it is to find someone who understands this job. The passion you have to do what you do. It’s impressive.”

Emily rolled her eyes and shook her hair out of her face. “I’m not on the market Stan.”

“That’s a shame.” She could feel him eye her. “Are you seeing someone already then?”

“I’m not discussing my private life with you Stan.”

He frowned at the side of her head. “I was just curious. There was a rumor that there’s a reason all the women in your unit are beautiful. Well, the rumor was beautiful and blonde, but there’s always an exception to every rule.”

Emily tried her hardest not to take the bait.

“That media chick got to suddenly become a profiler without having to start at the beginning like the rest of us.” He leaned in slightly. “That chubby girl got hired from jail straight to that special spot on only that team.” Stan smirked, “And you, you didn’t work a day in the FBI until you went into that unit.”

\---

Rossi watched as the elevator doors opened on the sixth floor to Emily standing calmly in the middle of the lift and Agent Dooley crumpled in the corner gasping for air. He raised one eyebrow in question as Emily stepped off. “Good ride?”

Emily shrugged and then scowled. “It could have been better. Hotch in his office?”

Rossi nodded, “Do I need to, uh, keep track of things for you?”

“Sure. I’m sure Hotch will want to…look into it shortly.” She turned as she spoke and then turned back around and headed through the bullpen. She jogged up the steps and knocked on Hotch’s door.

“Yes, Emily.”

“Stan’s at it again.”

Hotch stood, “Where is he?”

“Gasping like a fish in the elevator. Rossi is watching him.”

Hotch couldn’t help but chuckle as he headed for the elevators. He wasn’t surprised to find the Agent in question still on the floor struggling to breathe. Hotch approached and stood directly in front of the man on the floor.

After a minute, Stan processed the pair of shiny wingtips by his nose and looked up, then gulped. Stan didn’t like to admit it, but while he wasn’t bothered by the threats doled out by the women of the BAU team, he was seriously intimidated by their leader.

“Agent Dooley. Stand up.” Hotch watched as the younger man scrambled to rise. “Didn’t I instruct you to stay away from all of the members of my team?”

The agent swallowed hard, “Yes sir.”

“And didn’t I inform you previously that harassing any of my team in the future would lead to further action taken against you?”

Agent Stan gave a slight sneer, “I didn’t realize Agent Prentiss needed someone to fight her battles for her.”

Hotch leveled a glare at the man and stalked toward him, making him walk backward until he bumped into the wall, “Fight her battles for her? What you seem to fail to understand is that any one of my team can make you vanish forever and you regularly piss off no less than three members. What I’m doing is not fighting her battles, what I’m doing is keeping you able to see tomorrow.” He stood planted, towering over the smaller man. “In future, I will not intervene. I advise you avoid all members of this team from here on out. Am I understood?”

“Yessir.”

Hotch remained in place until the elevator dinged again and the remaining members of his team stepped out. He then backed up and allowed the man to rush into the elevator. As the doors shut, all three women smiled and waved.


	6. Chapter 6

Fridays always seemed to move slowly, he never got why that was. He figured Reid would have some explanation about perception and anticipation, but he didn’t dare ask. It was closing in on six o’clock when his friend wandered in and took a seat on his couch. “Drink?”

“Sure.”

“Long day?”

“Long week.”

He moved to the cabinet and took out the bottle and a pair of glasses. “Want to talk about it?”

“Not yet.”

He nodded in understanding. “Drink first. I’m almost done here. Then we’ll talk.”

His friend nodded in agreement.

He finished the last of his files and put them aside. “Aaron, what’s weighing on your mind?”

“How did you know it was the right time to retire?”

Dave was somewhat surprised at the question. “Well. I started to dread getting a case. I had nightmares about the ones we saved not making it. I started to see unsubs in every person I met.”

Hotch nodded. 

“Are you considering making a change?”

“Sometimes.”

“Well, I wouldn’t blame you. You’ve given a lot for this job. More than any person should have to.”

“How do I decide?”

“I can’t answer that, Aaron. If you retired, the team would still go on. We’ve got Reid to run things. What would you do with yourself?”

“I don’t know.”

“Teach?”

Hotch chuckled, “Maybe.”

“Well. I’m always here to bounce ideas off of.”

“I know. I appreciate that.”

The two men drank in silence. Finally Rossi set his glass aside, “Figure out what life would look like without coming to work every day. Jack has school, what would you do while he was out? Cleaning and repairing stuff will only take a few days, trust me.”

“Take up a hobby? Find a different way to stay busy. Garcia counsels families of victims, Morgan fixes up houses.”

“Reid plays chess or counts cards, I mean, plays cards.”

Hotch smirked.

“I write and tinker with my cars. Several of us have cars to tinker with.”

“Cars have never really been my thing and I would be happy to never have to write another thing in my life.”

Rossi set down his glass, “You and Jack could travel, make new memories of the places you’ve been to but never actually got to see.” He stood and moved to pour another glass. “Top up?”

“No, I’m good. I need to get home.” Hotch stood and made to leave. “It’s been a long week. I’ll see how I feel come Monday.”

“Always a good plan.” Dave watched his friend silently slip out the door and across the bullpen toward the exit and couldn’t help but smile sadly at the thought of watching another changing of hands with the BAU as one generation moved on and the next stepped up.


End file.
